8/12/2019 TU Delft Career Centre Quick Guide to Cover Letters and CVs Nieuwe Huisstijl 20121116

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 Our quick guide to cover letters and CVs

Jaffalaan 9a (ingang Mekelweg)Openingstijden: ma-vr 09 – 17

Tel: 015-278 80042628 BX Delft

Web: careercentre.tudelft.nlEmail: careercentre@tudelft.nlLinkedin: TU Delft Career CentreFacebook: TU Delft Career Centre

TU Delft Career Centre

Applying for jobs can mean quite some cover letter writing and CVpreparation. While that may seem daunting at first it does not have to be.

Just review this quick guide to get you started on how to write great cover letters and CVs for the

Netherlands. The main rules?1) Triple check to make sure that the documents look consistent in layout and have no spelling mistakes;2) Tweak and adapt your documents for every application to match the vacancy.

Writing a CVThe terms CV and résumé are used interchangeablyin the Netherlands. Reviewing your application startswith your CV, which will only be scanned (in 15seconds or less).Note that employers do not necessarily care aboutall you have done, they are interested in what youcould do for them. Make a match between your

experience and what they are looking for by givingrelevant and tailored information they can quicklyunderstand.

The rules of the game:

 CVs should not be longer than two pages.

  In the correct order, the categories ofinformation for a starter are: personalinformation, (optional: personal profile orobjective) education, working experience,extra-curricular activities/ volunteer work/project experience, (optional: honours and

awards) software skills, language skills,interests.

 The – optional – personal profile or objectiveshould capture your character andmotivation in just a few lines. Think of it asyour personal brand or elevator pitch. It canwork as a ‘teaser’ making people curious forthe rest of your CV.

 Within each category write down the entriesin reverse chronological order (starting withwhat ended most recently). Write all dateson the left hand side of the document.

 With experience, focus on what you havedone (possibly including results) and whatyour responsibilities were.

 Each time you send out your application goover your CV. See if you can rephrase oremphasize some experiences to bettermatch the vacancy text and organisation.

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Writing a cover letterThe cover letter is also called motivation letter for areason. They have already seen your experience onyour CV, now it is up to you to really explain andemphasize what makes you a great candidate for the

 job and organisation.

The rules of the game:

  A cover letter is max one page long whichleaves about 2/3 of that for your motivationdue to the letter head and space where thesignature traditionally would have been.

 Adhere to that max for online applications aswell.

 Often you will end up with three to fourparagraphs: 1) opening, 2)-3) motivation foryour suitability for the role, 4) interest in theorganisation, followed by a nice closure.

 All with polite use of language; this is a ‘formal’ document.

 Opening: clearly state which vacancy you areapplying for. Or with an open application,what type of role you see yourself in.

 Motivation for function: clearly explain whatmakes you a good candidate for the job.Rather than just saying ‘I have goodcommunication skills’ highlight a situationwhere you put those skills to practice. Givebrief examples to ‘prove’ these qualities.

 Motivation for organisation: do not give theimpression you could send the same letter to

the competitor by merely changing theorganisation’s name. Motivate what makesthis organisation interesting to you. Gobeyond the slogan of the company. Do notsimply say ‘because you are the largestorganisation’. Rather say what makes workingfor the largest organisation interesting to you.

 While you will develop certain standardphrases after writing a couple of letters, do goover your letter every time  and see if youcover the main aspects from the vacancy textin your motivation. Make the match!

Tip!Make a base CV with all your information that youadapt for every application. You can have this CV

ready in multiple languages. For more information onapplying globally, visit Going Global  via Blackboard:Blackboard -> My Student Info -> Student Resources.